-But a small number of the 33,979 candidates performed well
By Augustine Octavius
There has been mass failure in this year’s West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Liberia, the West African Examination Council (WACE) has disclosed in Monrovia.
WAEC released the provisional results on Thursday, which reflect previous statistics of poor performance of students in public exams in recent years.
The Officer in Charge of WACE, Isaac Toe disclosed that 65.15 percent or 21,580 candidates failed while 34.85 percent or 11, 544 candidates passed successfully in the WASSCE test.
Addressing a press conference in Monrovia, Mr. Toe, who is also the head of the Testing Department, pointed out that 33,979 candidates from 600 high schools but only 33,124 candidate representing 97.48 percent sat for the examinations.
He explained that 855 candidates’ results are being withheld for several forms of examination malpractices.
Mr. Toe noted that those caught with cell phones were 60, candidates, candidates caught with foreign material were 40 and candidates involved in irregular activities 62.
According to the WACE official, 122 candidates were results were seized because of insult or assault while 571 others from 14 schools were in collusion.
He maintained that 11,544 candidates representing 34.85 percent candidates who sat the exams made a successful pass in individual subjects.
The WACE Head of Testing also revealed that 21,580 candidates representing 65.15 percent of the candidates who sat for the examination were unsuccessful.
Thirty two of the 600 high schools have 100 percent pass rate in at least one subject while 33 percent out of the 600 high schools 90 percent passing rate in at least one subject.
Samuel Sumo of the Firestone High School in Margibi County and Munah Wlemus of the ELWA High School in Montserrado County passed with credits in Mathematics and English.
According to the WACE official, Emmanuel Morris of the JJ Roberts United Methodist School and Peter Thomas Kollie of the Saint Martin’s Catholic High School in Gbarnga, Bong County passed eight of the nine subjects.
Nelly Wende of the SOS Harmann Gmeiner High School in Monrovia, Lewis Rogers of the II Roberts High School in Monrovia and Ahmadou B. Jalloh of the William Both High School in Paynesville have all passed seven of the nine subjects.
Commenting on the junior high school certificate examination, Toe said 41,270 candidates 1,335 junior jigh schools registered for exams.
He disclosed that 40,270 candidates representing 98.14 percent of the candidates sat for the examination.
Mr.Toe explained that 25 candidates’ results were withheld various forms of examination mal-practices. They include four candidates caught with cell phone, ten caught with foreign materials and eleven others linked other illegal activities.
Some 25,685 candidates representing 64.42 percent of the candidates who sat for the examination made a successful pass;
Another 14,817 candidates representing 36.58 of the candidates who sat the examination were unsuccessful.
Concluding, the WAEC official said Luther Makehyor of the Pamela Kay High School in Brewerville with the aggregated T-score of 379.00 is the best candidate on the examination.